The company allegedly imported 25,402 kg of hydrochlorofluorocarbon 22, an ozone-depleting substance, from sources outside the United States, a violation of the stratospheric ozone protection regulations.

“To protect stratospheric ozone, the Clean Air Act limits the importing of ozone depleting chemicals into the United States,” said Deborah Jordan, director of the EPA’s Air Division for the Pacific Southwest region. “Companies in Guam and other U.S. territories are not excluded and must comply with all stratospheric ozone protection regulations.”

A May 2006 inspection by the Guam EPA, in consultation with the U.S. EPA, identified the violations by JWS Refrigeration.

High in the atmosphere, the stratospheric ozone layer is the earth’s protective shield against excessive ultraviolet radiation. Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation is responsible for increased risk of skin cancer and cataracts, depressed immune systems, decreased crop output, and the destruction of plankton, a critical link in the oceanic food chain.

The U.S. EPA’s stratospheric ozone protection program aims to prevent depletion of the ozone layer through the production phase-out and use restriction of refrigerants. Among other restrictions, the program forbids the importation of ozone-depleting substances.